Welcome to the Archipelago. Let's play Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis!

Welcome, guests, to my first ever screenshot LP, of the undeservedly-obscure Macintosh RPG Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis.

Odyssey was designed by Richard Rouse III and released in 1996 by Paranoid Productions, using the engine from an earlier game called Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete, which is also comparable to the earlier Ultima games. Later, a freeware version was released with a number of bug fixes, and that's the version I will be showing off here. You can download it here, but if you're not using a Macintosh that supports Classic Environment, you'll need an emulator. Personally, I use SheepShaver, which you can find out how to set up here.

Now, on with the LP proper. This is a story-driven game, so it would probably be best to start off with the story.

That being said, this is my first screenshot LP, it might not be as interactive as my past ones, but I'll try my best. In fact, we can start out here. What our protagonist's name be, and should they be male or female? This is what the genders look like, but it's purely cosmetic AFAIK, and will be indistinguishable once we get enough armor anyway, so don't worry too much about it.

And, for something that's not purely cosmetic, what kind of stat spread should they have? You can't directly pick stats, but you can reroll until you get something good. The stats are:

The polls are closed, and we have two votes for a Stoutness-based character, one for a Sagacity-based one, and only one name suggestion. So, our character will look like this:

And, after watching the intro scenes again, the adventure officially begins. Let's take a look at the interface.

First of all, the character window (A). It shows what Katrielle looks like, a list of her equipment, and her stats. Not much to say, really.

Next, the Disiplines window (B). It shows how much skill we have in each weapon and psionic category. It may not look like much, but that's because it only lists experience for weapon groups and psionic disciplines which we actually have access to. It should be noted that it's important to diversify training in weapons and psionics because your max HP and PP increase every time you gain a level in a weapon group or psionic discipline, respectively.

The Objects window (C) lists everything except weapons and psionics.
"Keys" is self-explanatory. Thankfully, this game automatically checks to see if you have the correct key when you're opening a locked door, so you don't have to try every single key in your inventory, like in a lot of games.
"Usable Objects" are items that have a direct effect when used.
"General Objects" are other items that don't fit into other categories, including books and notes.
"Armor & Shields" is even more self-explanatory than keys.
"Ammunitions" are required to fire ranged weapons. Each ranged weapon uses a different type - bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts. However, we don't have any ranged weapons yet, so it doesn't matter for now.
"Treasure" is how much money you have, in both gold and gems.

Last and not least, the map window (E) is where the actual game takes place. As you can see, there's a note on the beach, and a cave not far away. So let's take a look at them both.

And we've already got an adventure hook! But let's check out the cave first.

Seems like a pretty homey place, actually. Makes sense because it actually is a home. Let's see if this old guy's a friendly hermit or a murder hermit.

Looks like he's a friendly hermit. Good thing, because it gives me an opportunity to explain the conversation system in this game. When you talk to someone, it shows a window like this, with a space where you can type in keywords. Most people will respond to "name" and "job", a lot of them will usually respond to "island" and "town", especially later in the game. Here's what the old man has to say about the first three ("town" isn't very applicable to someone living in a cave):

Name: "It has been so long I don't think even I can remember that."

Job: "I don't think you have the time to hear all of who I am. Let's just say that I was once a great man, but that was before he came."

Island: "I suppose you could call this island, Un, the first one. It's a large place, to be sure. Some fine villages, Elba and Niac, though they're not too friendly. Especially not to each other.

That thing about villages sounds like it might be interesting.

And he mentioned monsters, but we haven't seen any yet. Might as well try to find out more.

"Hut"? This is clearly a cave. However, that advice might just come in handy. Let's check out the secret passage he mentioned.

In general, walls with little notches or other significant differences from normal walls, as seen on the circled one here, are secret passages. Let's see what lies through this one.

Jackpot! A list of the items here:

A Glowing Map, which unlocks the game's automap feature.

A Traveller's Journal, in which we can take notes from conversations or the like.

A suit of Ring Mail.

20 Arrows. Unfortunately, those won't be much use without a bow, but maybe we'll find one later.

A Long Sword - our first weapon! Now we have access to the "Long Bladed" weapon category and can start gaining experience in it to boost our max HP.

All in all, a pretty good haul.

And, now that we're outfitted, we can probably check out an adventure hook. But which one?

Current plot hooks:

"N" invited us to come to the northeast part of the island.

The old man told us about the towns of Elba and Niac, which hate each other and are apparently on the brink of war.

By the way, you might notice some inconsistencies in the screenshots. This is because I somehow forgot to take screenshots at the first opportunity, so I had to take them after the fact. My bad. :P

Also, spoiler policy, for anyone who's played this: Spoilers are fine, as long as they're in spoiler tags. The exception is anything to do with the final area - do NOT post spoilers about that.

If only I could. Unfortunately, a lot of the interesting scenery scattered about the Archipelago is just that - scenery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aturtledoesbite

i appreciate how you kept the 'latyon' typo

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBear

In my defense, I'm pretty sure I copy-pasted it from somewhere since, ironically, I was concerned about spelling "Katrielle" properly.

And, in my defense, I wasn't sure if it was a reference to anything, and I didn't want to look it up because I wanted to get started with the actual LP as soon as possible. And, for this update...

First of all, something I forgot to mention: this game has a great soundtrack, composed of arrangements of various classical music. I don't really know much about classical music, so I wouldn't recognize most of them, but here's a link to the music for Un's overworld, which also plays in the old man's cave. Now, to address Gerad's suggestion:

Indeed, he does. So let's do that. Before that, though, something I probably should have done earlier, but the thought just never occured to me. Specifically, asking the old man about my staff.

If you say yes...

And, if you take him up on his offer of help...

So, it's another way of getting information about the secret passage, and some extra story information, to boot. Anyway, let's take the old man's torches, then head to the northeast!

And we've encountered our first monster! This is a Green Flesh-Thresher. It's quick, but not especially tough. This island is also inhabited by Slime Mauls, which are the opposite. Every island has a pair of monsters like this on the overworld, which are for the most part indigenous to that island. Thankfully, this being the first island, these aren't too much trouble, so we make it to the northeast easily. When we get there...

When encountering a strange glowing mirror in a swamp on an uncharted island, it's always a good idea to enter it. On doing so...

...Katrielle finds herself in a strange place, with this music playing.

By the way, an interesting note: as I said earlier, I don't know beans about classical music, so this was my first exposure to Satie's Gymnopedie, which was also used in Mother 3. So, when I heard the Mother 3 one, I recognized it as this. Anyway, let's take a look at the obvious note here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vex the First Note

Welcome to the first of what I shall call my Vex Chambers. You see, it is quite by chance that you washed up on my Archipelago, and though the staff you have brought with you has proved most beneficial to my present condition, I truly have no notion of who you are. I must admit I am honestly shocked to see that you have lived so long as you have, making it all the way across the island as you did. Those creatures are a nuisance, aren't they? In all honesty, though, I doubt you shall live long enough to ever meet me, but I am sporting enough to give you a fair chance. In any event, back to the matter at hand, my Vex Chamber the First. I wish to see just what sort of clever person I am dealing with, for it is intellect not might that will see you through in the end. And so these Vex Chambers, created entirely for your benefit: no one else can see them, I assure you. Furthermore, you only get one shot, as it were, and should you make it through to the end, you only have a few seconds time, after collecting your reward, to beat a hasty retreat. So, then, best of luck. This one requires no explanation. - N.

As the name implies, these Vex Chambers are puzzles, and can be pretty vexing. Most of the islands have one, and I am going to attempt all of them. This one is pretty simple. In fact, it's almost impossible to fail. Just read the signs and then go whichever way you feel best suits you. I'll be showing the signs, but the paths I, personally, took are for me to know and you to guess.

At the end of the maze, we find a sign, two scrolls and a strange rune. The scrolls are our first psionics, which for all intents and purposes are magic by another name. Specifically, Touch of Frost, a close-range ice attack, and Electric Habergeon, a temporary defense buff. Stepping on the rune causes the message "You feel strangely energized" to appear, meaning that our maximum psionic points are now 100. However, it doesn't fill up the bar, so we'll have to wait a while to actually use our reward. That being said, the note said to "beat a hasty retreat" once we've collected our reward, so let's do that!

This flame is the exit from the Vex Chamber. Once you step on the power rune in one, you have 50 turns to escape before it disappears and you're trapped forever. So let's do it!

As was also alluded to in the note, you only have one shot at each Vex Chamber - once you exit, whether you succeed or fail, the mirror disappears. Thankfully, the only way to fail this one is to take too long to exit and get trapped inside. Anyway, now that we're fortified with psionics, let's head south in search of civilization...but that will have to wait for next time.

Today, we'll try to make it to a town, and see what its people have to say. "Try" because, well, look at Katrielle's health bar.

Fortunately, health recovers over time, and the monsters of Un are pretty weak, so I'll most likely survive. Let's go!

Guess I underestimated the average Slime Maul. Trust me, this screen will come up pretty often. Fortunately, I can always restore to an earlier save, so after doing that, completing the Vex Chamber again, and navigating the island for a while, we find ourselves outside a town. The sign indicates that this is Elba, so let's check it out.

It certainly looks secure, which is a probably a good thing considering how many monsters there are outside. They've left me at 10% of my maximum health, so I'm going to take a rest here.

Resting causes your health and regeneration rate to increase, but also leaves you helpless, so you really don't want to do it in any location with monsters. Resting in a bed is more efficient than resting on the ground, but beds are usually in safe areas, so it doesn't matter too much. Anyway, let's see what these guards have to say.

This is actually the most common result you'll get from talking to people, since most of them seem to only exist to make towns seem more populated. However, there are people who are willing to talk, like the waiter at this lovely little outdoor café.

Let's start out with the standard conversation options.

name: "My name is Francois T., and I am happy to serve Elbans ze very best in Elban Cuisine."
job: "Why, monsieur, you ask such zilly questions! I am ze waiter here at Le Coq a L'ane."

Apparently, he can't tell that Katrielle is a woman. Although, to be fair, the Ring Mail she's wearing is pretty androgynous... Anyway, let's ask him about cuisine.

Asking him about Elba will get the same response, so let's try asking him about Niac.

Looks like he's not too fond of Niac. Let's look around town some more and see what other people have to say. First, we'll read the sign outside the building to the south.

Ooh, now that might be handy, considering how much damage I'm taking in general.

And the doctor is in, so let's talk to her.

Hopefully she's not too busy for the standard questions.

name: "My name's Felicia, Fe for short."
job: "I'm pretty much the director here at Miracle Cures, Inc. I do most of the healing and caring. Since I don't really have time to talk, if you want more information, maybe I could give you a book...

That book might be useful, so let's ask about it.

Interesting. Niac has a strong military, but no medical knowledge? Kind of strange. Anyway, at least we've got a key out of it, so let's take it.

The Copper Key is a master key to the hospital, so we can use it to open these two doors. The south door contains two Healing Herbs, a book of Elban Medical Techniques, and a Bread Knife. When used, the Healing Herbs restore approximately 13 HP, and each one can be used up to five times before disintegrating. The book, while we can't read it, can be used for a subquest later. Finally, the knife is a fairly weak melee weapon. It does unlock a new weapon category, though, so there's that. The north door contains the psionic Spontaneous Combustion, a ranged damage-over-time fire spell. Having acquired these things, let's check out more of the town...

...after chatting up this smug-looking douchebag.

And his portrait doesn't look any less smug than his sprite. As far as I know, he doesn't really have anything important to say, but let's try some of the common dialogue options anyway.

name: "Greetings and salutations. My name is Roderick, proud Elban."
job: "Oh, I do a little bit here, a little bit there. Elba has always been good to me, so I need not work too hard."
Elba: "Noble Elba, who could find a better town. We proudly feature a comprehensive health service, something they are sorely lacking. Why I hear in Niac their people can't even cure warrior's foot yet. And our cuisine... is magnificent. You won't find delicacies like ours anywhere else in the world."
Niac: "Those vile, filth-dwelling, scheming, violent Niacians. They are the ones with the military might, I suppose, but we have held them back with the great strength of our patriotism alone. They are wholly and totally different from us. I could speak all day about their inferiority, but it would just infuriate me. Elba forever!"

And, if you ask him about "health" or "cuisine":

Asking him about Niac's military will result in this:

The conversation options being exhausted, let's get away from Roderick before Katrielle gets the urge to stab him right in his smug face.

Next stop on our tour, the Elban stockyards. Those buffalo-looking critters are called Spamalopes, and they're somewhat useful. You see, killing them is worth 10 points of weapon experience, and killing them doesn't bring the guards down on you. Unfortunately, they don't respawn, which is why they're only somewhat useful. I'll be saving them for later.

Just south of the stockyard is the Groggroom, a tavern. And where there's a tavern, there's a bartender, and where there's a bartender, there's information. So let's see what he has to say about the common conversation topics in this town.

name: "Most people just call me Grogg."
job: "I'm general owner and manager of the Groggroom: been so for the past fifty years. A lot of information passes over a good cup of mead. But really not much changes on Un."
Un: "Funny name for an island, I guess. But it makes sense since, I figure, it being the only one in the whole world. Too bad it's got only two towns on it. But who could create more with the monsters out there?"
Elba: "This sure is a fine town: it's the only town decent folk live in. Certainly not that filth ridden place to the south. Mendicants! And I hear the food ain't so good down there, neither. Now Elban cuisine! There's something to be reckoned with!"
Niac: "If I were you, sir, I wouldn't mention that place to just anybody. Elbans are liable to decapitate you. But Niac... what a wretched place. I always wondered: the great God above... why did he only create just one island. And why did he create just two towns, one good and one evil. 'Cause that's what Niac is you know: pure evil. Is he testing us? Seeing which we choose? I'll never understand it."
cuisine: "Without a doubt, the finest cuisine on Un. Now that isn't saying much, those Niacians never produced anything of any worth anyway. But Elban cuisine is great stuff. Too bad we don't get seafood anymore, but what with the monsters outside, nobody could make it to the waters alive."
monster: "Yeah, you better watch yourself if you ever walk out of the gates to Elba - the monsters outside will tear you apart and eat your choicest bits. We used to do a lot of fishing off the coast to the west: what marvelous seafood dishes the chefs would cook up. But with the monsters the way they are, nobody can make it to the sea."
sea: "Me, I haven't seen the sea in a good long time. The monsters outside just make it too dangerous to go outside at all."

And that info dump seems like a good place to end this update. We've learned an interesting fact, though: with the exception of the old man in the cave, the people of this island seem to think that there's nothing else in the world. This is obviously not true, for three reasons:

Katrielle is from a land outside Un, and acquired the staff from another such land.

The old man mentions the one who has the staff lives on another island.

The manual explicitly states that the game is set on an archipelago composed of nine islands.

What could be going on here? I'll leave that for you to speculate on. Next time, we explore the rest of Elba. See you then!

In all these years, this idea had literally never occured to me. I guess it was just hiding in plain sight. Thanks! Speaking of the towns, let's head back to Elba.

Since we gave Elba's medical secrets to Niac, it's only fair that we give Niac's military secrets to Elba, right?

Unfortunately, the reward for this bit of cultural exchange isn't quite as good. The Herb of Immenant (sic) Health restores 50 HP, but can only be used three times. Anyway, as you may recall, Thomas mentioned a tunnel between Elba and Niac that the elders might know about, but to get information from them we'd need to get them to respect us. I'm pretty sure that giving them the Niac Military Tactics book should have earned their respect, so if we ask the elder about "tunnel"...

...he's not especially helpful, other than acknowledging that yes, there is a tunnel. However, there's another reason I returned to Elba. You see, there's a trick I want to show off.

As I've said, there are a LOT of locked doors that you'll never find keys to. However, Katrielle isn't the only one with the ability to open doors...

And while most of the books she picked up in Niac aren't very interesting, they do make good doorstops.

It actually works with any item, but I prefer to do it with useless ones like the unreadable books. Unfortunately, looting the rest of the houses here will take a while, so like the unlocked ones, I'll just give a list of what I found:

A Bread Knife.
A Meat Cleaver.
A Spleen Splicer.
A War Axe.
Two suits of Elban clothing.
A Healing Herb.
3 GP.

Not really worth it, but kind of fun in a tedious way, if that makes sense. However, there is actually a practical use for this trick.

See this door? It's locked. However, the elder does go back here frequently, so when he's in the doorway, drop a book and head on through

Judging by the bed here, this is probably the elder's bedroom. There's also a trunk containing an Obsidian Key, which will let us open the door on our own, and a ladder down - possibly into the mysterious tunnel alluded to. Let's check it out - after switching to a one-handed melee weapon. Why? Because we'll eventually need a hand free for a torch.

Not far from the entrance path, we encounter our first cave monster - a Skanky Skeleton. Other monsters in this cave include Skeletants, Gremlins, and a Morc. They aren't too tough to handle at this point, but later caves will have nastier creatures.

And we've officially entered the darkness, so let's light one of our torches. On a side note, Katrielle has leveled up in Melee Weapons, so I'll be switching to my only one-handed weapon which I have no experience points in - the Spear. The Spear is a thrown weapon, so I can attack monsters at a distance with it. Other than that, it's an unremarkable weapon, with damage and wield ratings of 7 each. Here's what Katrielle looks like with the Spear and Torch equipped, BTW.

There's a fork in the road here. South would be the logical direction, since the tunnel leads to Niac, so, by adventurer logic, the correct way to go here is north.

The northern path loops around and leads to a crossroads. West is a dead end and east is a maze of tunnels terminating at a suspicious locked door, so it looks like south is the right way to go. The southern path is long and winding, but eventually leads to another crossroads.

See that lantern in the room to the east? It's also a light source, but it has a wider radius than a torch and I think it also lasts longer. The western room is empty, so further south we go!

Notches in the wall. You remember what that means, right?

That's right, a secret passage! It's full of monsters, but nothing Katrielle Latyon can't handle. Inside, we find the psionics Terrify and Black Sleet, a Chain Mail, two Lanterns, suits of Elban and Niacian clothing, and a Very old, moldy book, in addition to the 21 GP dropped by the monsters. There's also an interesting plaque on the wall. The book has more to say about this, as follows:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Very old, moldy book

This book is being created as both a diary for myself and my coworkers, but also so that people someday will understand the work that went into the great Niac-Elba tunnel system. Now, at the onset of the project, it is our hope that future generations will not forget the time that was invested to make the whole project come together. The experience of working underground for such long periods of time will no doubt be hard on the men, but all have agreed that this tunnel must be built. Un will be a better place for it. Before getting to any log of the progress of the tunnel, I think it will be helpful to put in, first, some sort of a description of why this tunnel went up in the first place: it is not everyday that a miles-long catacomb is created.
For reasons that still remain unclear, monsters have recently started appearing on our island of Un. These creatures are like nothing we have ever seen before. These are not natural beasts in any way: they are truly ghastly in appearance, they move at super-human speeds and strike with powers beyond any ordinary persons. The monsters seem to appear at random, as well; some have claimed to see the beasts rise out of the Northeast swamps, others have claimed that they are a scourge sent down from some deity above. Either way, the monster threat is here and shows no sign of going away. Unfortunately, these monsters have made Un a much less livable place. People can no longer wander around unescorted outside the cities. Trips between Elba and Niac, for trading purposes or just for those who have friends or family in the other town, must be accompanied by armed guards. Sometimes, no matter the size of the protective force, these convoys are still overcome and destroyed by the savage monsters. There seems to be no stopping them. The fishing industry has taken a nose-dive as well, most who have worked the sea all their lives fear for their lives if they attempt to make it to the ocean from either Elba or Niac.
Nonetheless, something had to be done to make the trip between Elba and Niac possible. And so, the idea of making a tunnel was conceived. Many said it impossible, and I must admit that I was one of the skeptics. But the people of Elba and Niac could not bear to live in isolation: we have all been good friends to each other for so long, our trading has always been good for the business of both towns. So, the project was undertaken by some fifty men who have so far worked 10 days. It is the dogged determination of the people of Niac and Elba, working in strong cooperation, that will build this tunnel, if it can indeed be built at all. We all hope that future generations of Un will put this tunnel to the best use possible
[It appears as if several pages have been ripped out of the book here.]
3/02 - (150th day of construction) My men have been working so long, I fear that they can no longer stand each other. Yet, this is very odd. The people of Un have so long been so peace-loving, so tolerant. Now, I regularly see fights breaking out between the men, usually disputing the trivial matter of whether Elba or Niac is better than the other. At this point, luckily, they're all verbal fights, but some have come close to becoming more. The men seem to be separating themselves by the town of their origin, instead of working together in the pleasant unison they did before. They are almost starting to consider the member of the other town to be of another race.... It is very strange.
[It appears as if several pages have been ripped out of the book here.]
27/02 (174th day of construction) A monster got into the tunnel system! No one knows how this could possibly have happened but it did, and four men lost their lives before the revolting creature was bludgeoned to death. I fear that there is some leak in the tunnels system where the creature was able to sneak in, but my men assure me that there is no break in the roof, and that the tunnel is at least ten feet underground throughout its winding passage from Elba to Niac. Perhaps, as some stories say, the creature was spontaneously generated? If that is the case, I fear that this tunnel may be just as dangerous as the ground above it. And with the fighting that is going on amongst the workers as never before (those from Elba clashing with those from Niac, behavior I had never seen before the tunnel started) I fear for the completion of the project.
30/02 (177th day of construction) Several more monsters have appeared in the tunnel, and ten more men have been killed. In addition, 20 men have quit the job entirely, saying that it is now simply too dangerous. I can hardly argue with them. At this point, the tunnel is passable, but it is not quite safe enough to allow public use. Despite it all, I hope that the few of us left are able to stick to our work long enough to complete it.
31/02 (178th day of construction) Another very strange occurrence has happened. I was not going to tell anyone, it was so bizarre, but I must write it somewhere just so that I believe it myself. I was inspecting a section of the tunnels, near the north end of the system, at a time at which no other workers were around. And then, up the tunnel a ways, I saw at tall, lanky man, dressed in a black leather. I knew immediately it was no worker for the tunnel system. As I approached him he turned around for just an instant: I could barely make out the man's face, but it was very red, with some sort of vertical scars sectioning it off into little strips. The sight was, I must admit, fairly revolting. In his hand he had a largish, quartz key, the like of which I had never seen before. I called to him, but he quickly turned and ran. I followed, and he seemed to be running at just the pace so that I could not hope to catch up with him, though I could always keep him in sight. It's as if he wanted me to follow him. We ran so long, I could not even be sure where we were. Then he turned the corner, and I heard the clanging of a door. I ran as fast I could to get closer to him but then ran into a large door, which I know should not have been there. There are no doors in the tunnel system at all, what was this one doing here? It was quite large and, unfortunately, locked. The keyhole seemed as if it would fit that quartz key the creature was carrying. In any event, I now begin to doubt the whole event ever took place, and have not actively looked for the door again.
42/02 It's all gone to Hell. The monsters are everywhere you look, and some of the men have come to blows with each other, arguing the stupid point of which town is better. I cannot decide if this project has been wrecked by the monsters that attack and slay us or the monsters inside ourselves, which tear apart our unity and our ability to work effectively. The project is officially abandoned, much to my sadness I assure you, and I leave this diary down here, hoping that no one ever finds it to know the shame, and waste, Un has undergone. - J. K.

That's certainly a lot of story to take in. If nothing else, it's proof that Elbans and Niacians were once friendly with each other, and the description of the creature with the quartz key sounds familiar... Anyway, let's continue onward, after resting in that very comfy bed. Resting in a bed causes your HP and PP to refill faster, which is essential in a place like this.

Just across from the secret passage is a large room containing a Sapphire, worth 60 GP. In fact, the currency of the Archipelago is composed largely of gems. Of the ones Katrielle has found so far, Topazes are worth 10 GP, Rubies 20, Amethysts 30, and, as I've just stated, Sapphires are worth 60. There are also single gold coins worth 1. However, the coins and lesser gems are so common I didn't think they were worth mentioning until now. After the room with the sapphire is yet another crossroads. The room to the west contains a Long Bow, and the one to the east contains a third Spleen Splicer. Speaking of weapons, I recently leveled up Thrown Weapons, but none of my other disciplines contain one-handed weapons, so I'll use my trusty long sword for now and wait until I'm back on the surface to switch to something new.

West of the next crossroads is a room containing a War Hammer, some Padded Armor, and a pile of treasure composed of a Sapphire, two Diamonds (40 GP each), and a Ruby. The room to the east isn't quite as impressive, containing a Lantern and a Healing Herb.

After those two rooms is a hallway filled with pillars, in which are a plaque indicating that we're on the right way and another torch. All in all, though, it should be a straight shot from here. The only things of note are a small alcove containing 15 Silver Headed Arrows and a dead-end tunnel containing 20 Bolts. There were also 20 more regular Arrows, but that's not really worth worth screencapping, IMHO.

Eventually, Katrielle reaches a flight of stairs leading down. I honestly don't remember this cave being multi-level, but let's go ahead anyway.

And we're on the second level of this cave. Almost immediately, we encounter another crossroads. There's a torch to the northwest, so I take that path first, then the one to the northeast for the sake of exploration. It leads to yet another crossroads. There doesn't seem to be much to the north, but there's a pile of treasure to the south, containing a Diamond and a Pearl (90 GP). Afterwards is a sign saying that we're going the right way, which obviously means we should turn back in search of more loot. Unfortunately, all I find there are a Sapphire, a Torch, and a Lantern. Not really worth it, so I head back to the other crossroads.

Past the plaque is this corner. South just leads to a pathway further along the west tunnel, so west is the only real way forward, but there is a Buck and a Quarterstaff to the south. En route, Katrielle's Long Bladed skill leveled up, so I switched her to one of my many Spleen Slicers, only to find out that Spleen Slicers aren't exactly the greatest weapons despite their 30 wield rating, so I decide to use the Wicked Mace I was using earlier instead.

At the end of the passage is yet another fork, with yet another plaque. South seems too much like the right way, as always, so I head east, to a switchback containing the psionic Luck and a Buckler. Heading south from the fork leads to another winding series of tunnels, containing two Torches and a Midnight Star, Odyssey's equivalent of a morning star. It has a better wield rating than the Wicked Mace Katrielle is currently wielding, but doesn't do as much damage, so I probably won't be using it. Just past the Midnight Star is another intersection. North and east form a loop and don't really have much to offer besides another Torch, so we'll just head south.

Near the end of the southern path is a small room containing a Dagger, a Torch, and some Niacian clothing. We must be getting pretty close to Niac now. A bit further south is a switchback passage containing a War Axe, followed by a winding, but straightforward, passage, leading to a refreshingly well-lit intersection.

While the south passage is the correct choice, I wouldn't be a very good adventurer if I didn't check out the other ones, too. Unfortunately, all they contain are a Torch and a Lantern.

Finally, a sign with a new message! Since we're almost in Niac, I'd better switch to Niacian clothing, then head up the stairs.

And we're back in Niac! Now, as I alluded to last update, we have a decision to make. We've already done pretty much everything that can be done on Un, so it's time to move on to the next island. To do so, we'll have to complete one of two escort quests. For the sake of the LP, I'll be doing both, but which one should I do first - the easy one, or the somewhat less easy one?

You know, I had never noticed this typo until you pointed it out. However, there are a lot of typos in this game. Anyway, on with the LP.

Exploring the Home isn't easy because it's composed almost entirely of narrow tunnels, and the workers will often get in your way. To make matters worse, they'll sometimes completely fence you in so you can't move at all. They eventually move, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating when it happens.

Near the entrance to the tunnel to Un is a series of dark passages which don't contain any loot. At least, I don't think they do - I don't really want to waste any of my light sources on an area with no hostile activity.

Part of why I don't think there's any loot in the dark passages is because there isn't much loot in the Home in general - just these little underground dormitories. I remember there being a few crappy melee weapons lying around, but I could be mistaking it with another area. In my defense, though, the two areas are very similar.

These stairs lead to the surface, but I want to finish exploring the Home before going there.

This is the Food Distribution Center. Does't sound very impressive, right? Well, a door that noticeable must lead to something good, right?

Wrong. That door behind the tables looks intriguing, but there's no way to get to it, as far as I know, like the chest in that one church in Niac.

Sheesh. This is what I was talking about earlier - the workers can sometimes just block you in. Hopefully one of them will let me move soon, because if they don't, I may just have to kill one of them, especially since there aren't any guards around.

Like the sign outside the tunnel to Un, this sign states that the area of the Home beyond it is condemned by his "Holliest". Naturally, that means it's probably where the good stuff is. If nothing else, it's certainly well-lit, at least initially.

At the end of the passage is this nice little home. It'll be important later, but we'll get to that when the time comes. Just tuck it away in the back of your minds for now. That's it for the Home, which I was correct in guessing was utterly loot-free, so let's take a look at the island's surface now.

That's certainly some ominous music. But how bad could a place called the Community be?

I don't know how to extract sounds or the like from games, so you'll have to take my word for it, but when I moved into this space, the game played the sound for a male human dying. Looks like there's something going on here, so let's investigate.

That is one big fire. Like most humans, Katrielle will die if she touches it, so she probably won't be doing that. Also, there are a lot of workers around here.

This appears to be some sort of church. As we probably all know, organized religion in RPGs is never evil, so it probably has nothing to do with the death scream earlier.

See that cloaked figure? We do NOT want to get close to him, because he is hostile and will use psionics to devastate us. In fact, they're among the few enemies to actually use psionics. Nearby are a locked building and another cave. Again, they'll be covered when the time comes.

This kid seems pretty out of place in a town of reticent workers and spooky priests, so let's see what's up with him.

.

His responses are as follows:

name: "My name is Alonzo."
job: "I'm just a kid, I don't have to work or nothin'. My mom does a lot of work."
mom: "My mom doesn't live here any more 'cause she hates it. She lives down away from The Community, near the shore there. It's nice, but there aren't any other people there, so I stay here. Her name's Barbara. Um... should I trust you?"

I don't see why not.

That sounds like a quest hook to me. And, just for completeness' sake, here are his other responses:

community: "I like it here, in The Community. There are lots of people to watch, though I'm extra careful never to talk to anybody. If the priests ever caught me... I don't know what would happen."

I'm not touching that one.

priest: "The priests... they run everything around here. My mom hates 'em. I don't know what to think, but they sure seem evil. I have to keep running so they don't catch me. If they did I don't know what'd happen to me. I'll tell you a secret, though... none of them can see good, and they can't see very far. Just stay out of a small distance of them, and you'll be fine. Otherwise, they'll probably kill you."

This is good advice. The priests' psionics can do about 40 damage a shot, and considering that Katrielle's current max is 50...yeah. anyway, that's all I can think of, so let's get the Metal Key he drops, then leave this creepy place.

And here we are on the surface of Culn. This seems like a good place to end the update, so join me next time as Katrielle either visits Alonzo's mom or attempts the second Vex Chamber. Which do you pick?

By the way, the YouTube channel I've been using for the music doesn't have anything after this island, and I don't know how to rip the songs myself, so there won't be any more music links for the foreseeable future. Sorry.

I think the logic is that he's been people-watching here for a while and has never seen Katrielle before, so she's probably not a member of the cult and is therefore most likely trustworthy. Anyway, on with the actual update. Today, we set off for Vex Chamber II, which is located on the southwestern corner of Culn. First, though, some new monsters!

The snake is an Evesbane, and the plant is a Botanical Nightmare - they're Culn's equivalents to the Green Flesh-Thresher and Slime Maul, respectively. They might have higher HP, but since the game is pretty non-transparent about monsters, I don't really know. At any rate, it's a good opportunity to gain some experience in Hand To Hand combat and start working on that HP bonus.

And here's the Vex Chamber. Like the first one, it's in a swamp, but AFAIK this is just a coincidence.

Like the first one, there's a note not far from the entrance. Let's see what it has to say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vex the Second Note

Stranger - Your progress, meager though it may be, impresses me: welcome to my Vex Chamber the Second. This is another triviality of a whatsit, I assure you: to the West, you will notice I left a bit of a mess scattered about the room. If you could push it all neatly and compactly into the western corner-nook, your reward shall not be meager. If, though, the strain is just too much, there is a bit of an escape route to the south: but only take it if you are truly stuck without hope. Once again, there is no second chance. Though, if you are vexed by this... my, my, my that would be a pathetic sight. - N.

Yes, this is going to be a block-pushing puzzle. Let's take a look at it after grabbing those two lanterns.

As you can see, there are a lot of blocks lying around here. Seven, to be exact - one in each color of the rainbow, and in various shapes. What we have to do is...

...arrange them into a 5x6 square in this alcove. It should look something like this:

Code:

VVVVVRRRRVOGBRVOGBRVOOOOIYYYYI

It looks like the best move would probably be to get the big orange piece into place, so I'll do that first.

That was pretty easy, but I don't expect it will all be like that. By the way, every time Katrielle pushes a block, she makes a little grunting noise. Just a little tidbit.

I think I see why those lanterns were there - it makes it a lot easier to see all of the blocks. Anyway, moving the violet block to the right frees up the green one, so I can put it in place, followed by moving the blue and indigo ones aside so I can push the yellow one down.

And that being done, I can put the yellow block in the alcove easily.

Blue and indigo are the same shape, so they could probably go in any order, but the trick with is that you have to make a path so you can move them all the way to the left without hitting the wall, because you can't pull them, so they'd be stuck there forever.

And with blue in place, red and violet aren't far behind.

After that, indigo is child's play. Once it's in place, a path through the middle of the alcove opens up, and the door opens. BTW, maybe it's just me, but the path looks really nice.

Stepping on the rune boosts Katrielle's Nimbleness by 3. As you may recall, that's her worst stat, so this was definitely worth it. Now to get out before the flame vanishes.

And that's another Vex Chamber solved. It was a lot easier than I remember, but then this time I knew from the start that the blocks went in the alcove on the left, so that could be part of it. Join me next time as we visit Alonzo's mom and maybe get another quest hook or two.

Last time, we solved the second Vex Chamber. Today, we head to the east to visit Alonzo's mom.

This is the town of Shoreland, where she lives. As you can see, though, it's not in the best shape. But maybe it looks better on the inside?

It doesn't. But whatever is inside, Katrielle Latyon can handle.

In this building, I found a Glow psionic and a Rusty Key.

This storehouse contains a Wrought Iron Key and some Moood-Headed Arrows. If you're wondering, Moood is pretty much the Odyssey equivalent to mithril, orichalcum, adamantine, Laconia, Baldr, Escudo, or whatever your mythical metal of choice is. For the most part, Moood armor is the best in its category numbers-wise, but there are exceptions. The arrows, I believe, are the best arrows available numbers-wise, but I'm not entirely certain because I don't really use ranged weapons that much.

This is Barbara's house, but as the signsoutfront say, she doesn't seem like the trusting type. But considering that her son trusts me, I'm sure I can get her to, too.

I spent a while waiting for her in her house, only for her to show up when I wasn't expecting it, then I had to follow her around town for a while until I caught up with her. So let's see what she has to say.

Her responses to various topics:

name: "Barbara, my name is Barbara. My friends call me Barb, but it's been a long time since I've had any friends."
job: "Work? Well, I guess I do some work down here... I have to provide all my own food: I'm really living off the land. Actually, the fishermen who lived here long ago perfected a method of storing fish so that they would last for years. Indefinitely, maybe even. It's sort of a fish pickle. They taste fairly disgusting, but I need to eat to survive."
alonzo: "Yeah, Alonzo's my kid. Don't ask about his father: he got torn to shreds by one of those monsters. Alonzo spends most of his time running around the Community, dodging the priests and the jailer. I guess he likes the thrill of it. Or maybe he just hates it down here; there certainly isn't much of a social life. I guess he's a good kid, but a little too quiet."
priests: "Before the big change, the priests used to really care about people. Even if my mother never believed any of the religious talk, she still respected them. Now they're all self-serving bastards, as far as I can tell. Their religion is a fascist regime. The exploit the workers just so they can build their gold statues of themselves and they have the parishioners so hypnotized: they'll do anything the priests say, including those vile sacrifices."
community: "The Community: that's what they call that awful place; part of their 'we're all one big family' philosophy. The priests, they just want to exploit, to get the workers to mine gold and build statues for them. They keep the people in thrall with those cultish ceremonies they have, each one culminating with the 'sacrifice' of a few more people. The people know if they don't jump in that big flame - they call it Perpetual - they'll be forced in. I think half of them actually believe they're supposed to die, anyway."
shoreland: "That's where you are right now, and that's where I live. Most of the people up in The Community, save their souls, don't know about this place; they've forgotten I guess. The priests though: they remember and they've come down hunting up new workers for the mines many times. I'm the only one who escaped, and now they can never find me when they come. Shoreland is where the fisherman lived, while there were still fisherman: the monsters have made going outside increasingly difficult, plus those awful priests just want everyone to work in their mines. And most of the people are brainwashed enough to do whatever the priests say. So no more fishermen; I've got the place to myself."

And some topics coming off of those.
statue: "The mines is where the poor paritioners (sic) are forced to mine gold to build the statues that the Priests like so very much. Though most never see them: the Priests keep the statues hidden in their courtyard: I only saw them because I snuck in. It's teribbly the exploitation... it brings back so many bad memories."
sacrifice: "Oh, the suicides- or as the priests call them 'sacrifices' - are so horrible, I don't want to talk about them. Oh, those poor people - those evil priests."
perpetual: "Perpetual is that huge fire in the middle of the church: it's the thing the people throw themselves into when the priests tell them their time has come. It seems to be such a focal point for the religion, I always wondered what would happen if it didn't exist. It seems to have such a mesmerizing power on the people: those who might not believe are awed by the power of a God who can create such a huge flame. I always though, if there was some way we could get rid of it... Do you think that's a good idea?"

Replying in the affirmative gets this:

The items she mentions are a Glass Key and an Extinguish psionic. Obviously, the psionic is used to extinguish flames, but due to a bug in early commercial versions, you could also use it to instantly kill any monster, up to and including the final boss. Unfortunately, that no longer works in this version, but at least it still works for its intended purpose. Anyway, that's all we can do in Shoreland, but there's still one more place to visit on the island's surface.

And here it is.

As you can see, there are a lot of chests in the hut, but I'm not taking them - there is a reason for this. Let's talk to the hut's inhabitant and see what he has to say.

...Brother? Anyway, here are his responses to things.

name: "My name is Octavius, former member of the order of priests which now resides in the Community"
job: "I suppose my job was to ensure that the parishioners still had faith, still believed in my god above. I was and still am a priest, though now I can not in any way associate with those fellow priests who live in the Community. They, I think, have lost sight with just what the purpose of their job is. But it is not for me to judge, merely to educate. Did I do the right thing when I left the Community? I honestly do not know. But I shall always be a priest to my very soul and continue attempting to help my God, as long as my God continues to provide for me."
priests: "I can not clearly condemn the priests for what they have done - I think in their hearts they are noble people. Is it the power that has corrupted them, then? Or the mere circumstance of the monsters' arrival? Or perhaps His Holiest is the one who has destroyed the rest... At the same time, I can almost not forgive their current actions, their brainwashing of the parishioners, their forcing them to labor, the way the parishioners must take their own lives as some sort of holy gesture. Yet, without power of my own, especially with my lost vision, I can in no way stop them or save the people. My life is misery, and there is nothing to do... At least my God still provides for me."
community: "I once lived in the community, some long time ago. But I left: what they were doing was no longer in keeping with what I saw my God wishing of us. It is a strange thing, the way the priests' faith became, so suddenly, misdirected; how His Holiest changed so much with the coming of our power and the coming of the monsters. I have not been back to the Community since, and do not think I wish to return while such horrible acts are being perpetrated there. The sacrifices were truly the final act which drove me away. The Community is really the wrong name for that area - what is happening is terrible, and sadly I'm powerless to stop it."
perpetual: "The story of Perpetual is certainly a curious one which few would believe. With the coming of the monsters, and as we gained our power, His Holiest argued that we needed to unify the parishioners. The monsters had caused them to lose faith in our God and that to give them faith we should expand the fire that burned in the center of our church to mammoth proportions. This would act as a sign of God's grace, and the people would have more faith is a result - I always thought what good is faith if one has some sort of proof? His Holiest used his powers to carve the vast, intricate tunnels which lead to the very base of the flame, and ignited it from there. It was during this period that I used my powers to build this small hut and move myself and most fo my belongings there. Once I had left the Community, my powers strangely faded to naught."
power: "All of us - all eight of the priests - gained strange mental abilities with the coming of the monsters. Some of us could move items with our minds alone, others could read minds, but all could inflict severe pain on those who were not so blessed: the parishioners. But of all of us His Holiest gained the most power, too much power I think. At first I, along with the rest of the priests, believed the power to come direclty from our God above, but it was that power which led to the current situation in the Community. Once I left the Community, my own powers disappeared, why I do not know. And yet I am glad for it."
monsters: "The monsters arrived and all of Culn was changed because of it. They came from nowhere - a scourge sent from demons below perhaps? - and made leaving the Community impossible. With the monsters came our own power, and I still wonder about the connection between the two events. It was the combination of the two, I suppose, that lead to the current conditions, where the workers are tortured by the power-mad priests, especially His Holiest. They have lost touch with any God I would believe in. I left the community around the time of the creation of Perpetual, and can survive here, barely. You see, those beasts outside are not intelligent enough to open the door to my humble hut. There is something to thank God for."
vision: "My vision has always been poor, but it has become steadily worse since I left the Community many, many years ago. For some reason I can not see light properly - my entire world appears very dark. I can see some objects, but only faintly and as if they were in deep shadow. It is my God's way for me to be like this, and I shall not question it. While in the Community I did have a device which helped me see quite a bit more, but sadly I forgot it there when I surreptitiously moved away. Though I would like it back, with my powers now gone and my vision so poor, I dare not go back to fetch it. But my God provides me with food, what more need I to survive? Though I am distressed with the state in the Community, I am happy with my life here."

And there's another quest hook, although not directly related to the main quest on this island. Join me next time as I return to The Community and investigate the priests' home.

Forced mine slavery AND regular human sacrifices doesn't seem to make for a very sustainable model, specially in such a small island, though...

Agreed, especially if, like the people of Un, they think their island is the entire world. Anyway, today we're heading back to The Community. On the way there, I gained a level in Hand To Hand and switched back to the trident and shield.

This is the priests' house. With any luck, they'll all be at the ceremony, so Katrielle can easily sneak in with the key Barbara gave her.

Or not. Looks like I'm here at exactly the wrong time. I died on this attempt, but at least I've learned that it would probably be better to sneak in at night. So, after resting in the Home, where the priests thankfully never go...

...I slip inside.

Yes, that is Alonzo. Kid's got even more guts than I thought.

These doors lead to a ladder (north), the wine storage room (south), and outside (west). I'm not quite finished exploring this area yet, so I'll head back to the main corridor.

These are the statues that Barbara mentioned. They certainly bear a resemblance to the priests, but there's not really much else back here but some Spamalopes and a building containing an empty trunk. In fact, all of the trunks in the priests' house seem to be empty. So it looks like it's time to see what's at the bottom of that ladder.

A well-lit cave, with another ladder that inexplicably turns into stairs at the bottom. Obviously, this passage exists for a reason, so let's find out what that reason is.

Already, we've encountered a flight of stairs, or possibly the bottom of another ladder.

At the top is a small room on the right side of the church. Unfortunately, there's nothing here, so it's back to the tunnel.

Now this, I honestly don't remember. I've been going west so far, so I'll keep going that way for now.

At the west end of the passage is another ladder and three psionics - from left to right, Vicious Air (creates a cloud of gas that can be used as a trap or protection), another copy of Terrify, and another copy of Thermal Field. As for the ladder...

It leads to the jailor's room. The jailor is asleep, and presumably would be hostile if awake, so I'm going to ignore him. Unfortunately, the trunk is empty, so it's time to check out that side path now.

At this end of the passage is a flight of stairs leading to...

...a small locked room. That passage was kind of a letdown, but hopefully the priests will be out of their house now? I honestly can't remember why I was supposed to break in. I know that there is another quest which requires me to do so, but I can't remember any reasons to do so on the main quest.

Oh, cred... Fortunately, I saved before entering, so now I can go raid the PSI cache and head back without all that faffing around in the tunnel.

In addition to wine, the wine storage also contains the only non-empty trunk in the house, which, in turn, contains the IR Helm. You can tell I haven't played this game for a while, right? :P

Anyway, this is the item that Octavius mentioned. It's a fairly weak helm, but when worn, it offers a hands-free light source. Now, this leads to a decision: Should I keep the helm, or return it to Octavius? Anyway, now that we've gotten the one useful item from the house and the new psionics from the tunnel, it's time to head into the mines.

The mines use the same music as the Home, but the tunnels are, thankfully, wider and better-lit.

There are also a lot of tool-weapons lying around, like that Pick Axe. While not great for battle, they do at least provide some flavor. Unfortunately, I'm getting pretty close to the image limit, so we'll have to wait until next time for a more thorough exploration of the mines. See you then!